Reversion or Rebirth?
by Damvladi
Summary: Tiky Mikk destroyed Allen Walker's Innocence. It doesn't fix the hole in his heart, someone very close to him comes to help instead. Someone he has never met before.
1. Chapter 1

**Just a little something I wrote a year ago. I am in a D Gray-Man mood nowadays and I like stories with Noah!Allen a lot, the Allen x Road pairing is also my personal favorite.**

 **I have one more chapter already written, but I most likely won't continue this. I have a few other D Gray-Man stories sitting on my laptop, so if you wanna read them, tell me in a review or PM.**

 **On another note, I wanted to answer a guest review from 'Compassion', in case those who read my other stories come here, they are not dead, I will update the three of them next month.**

 **That's all I wanted to say. Hope you enjoy.**

* * *

Tyki Mikk left quietly after having his tease pierce a hole in Allen's heart. Thus, nobody was there to see Allen's skin suddenly turn ashen, his eyes still wide open changed from silver to gold and his body shook slightly.

The Fourteenth Noah was inside the boy, and he wasn't happy at all. Allen was supposed to be the host to his memories, so he couldn't die, as a subhuman. Neah Walker instantly started to push his entrance into the boy's mind when he felt the Innocence's presence weaken considerably. That damn substance had kept him from beginning the transformation before. Moreover, Allen Walker was his nephew by adoption, Mana being Neah's brother and he wouldn't let his nephew die, host or not.

Immediately after the Noah of pleasure left, the Musician forced all of his memories into Allen's mind. He didn't have time to do it progressively, like it should be in order to reduce the pain it brought. The boy was in too much shock to feel anything anyway. He needed Allen to awaken his inner-Noah for the inherent regenerative powers to kick in.

He was too hasty though. The more potent and numerous Noah memories didn't integrate into its host's quietly. They litteraly overwrote and erased a huge chunk of Allen's own.

'Oh fuck me god.' Neah cursed as he realized that the few left that weren't from him were from Allen's first seven years of his life, before he met Mana.

'At least, he's alive.' He noted as the heart healed.

As Neah took over his nephew's body to move, he witnessed a final change. The curse on the left eye suddenly disappeared, he clearly felt it, and the hair's color changed from white to dark red, Allen's original. The Fourteenth sighed, it made some sort of sense if you really thought about it. For all intent and purpose, Allen Walker had ceased to exist. The boy was now back at being just 'Red', as he was called before Mana gave him a name.

Neah stood and walked out of the forest. He entered the small town devastated by Suman's fallen form and managed to find a bed relatively intact to lay Red's body. Neah receded into the mind, he had work to do. He had to organise the new memories into his nephew's mind as best as he could, so they could integrate it without totally erasing Red.

* * *

Red awoke slowly, keeping his eyes closed. He felt like shit and thought he must have turned insane. he dreamt about another person, during another time he knew he wasn't supposed to be able to imagine.

'You're not insane All... I mean Red.' He heard a voice in his head.

He shot up from the bed with a startle, his eyes flying open wide.

"I'm really turning barmy." Red told himself with incredulity.

'Nope, not yet at least. I'm Neah by the way.'

"Red." He felt compelled to answer as he gazed around, trying to find the source of the voice, but he had another shock when he didn't recognize his surroundings.

'I'm in your head yes, but that doesn't necessarily mean you're insane. It's gonna be hard to believe, but you actually lost your memories. You are fifteen right now.' Neah stated.

Red, looked down at himself. When he saw, or more importantly did not see, his left arm, he fainted on the spot. He woke up later to the feeling of someone shaking him gently. He opened his eyes and found a man with ashen skin, golden eyes and stigmatas on his forehead looking at him with concern.

This is how he met Neah Walker, the Fourteenth Noah.

* * *

His uncle, as he learned, was a very patient man, at least with Red. Explaining in details what had happened and why he didn't remember anything. He was told about the Innocence, the Black Order, the Earl, the Noah, the holy war and what had been his role in it with the help of his uncle's memories.

He wasn't just a freak working like a slave in a circus anymore. Apparently he had a family, the Noah clan, that he could join once the transformation ended, even if it was going to be difficult because of what Neah had done.

Red accepted everything surprisingly well. It threatened to overwhelm him multiple times during their talks, so he just stopped caring and did something awful, something that he would have never done in the past. He integrated everything Neah told him without doubting him. It had been in his nature and a necessity to doubt and be wary of anything and anyone for him in the past. But, in this instance, he felt he could trust the man. He was in his head after all. If he couldn't trust the voice in his head, he was completely screwed.

Red spent the next few days learning more important things from his uncle and undergoing the rest of the transformation. It was extremely painful but he managed to hold himself together through it all and, two days after their first meeting, Red became a full-fledged Noah. The new Fourteenth.

He didn't admit it to Neah, even if he probably knew it as he was in his mind, but he was really happy about it. For him, it meant he wasn't the scrawny and freaky boy everyone hated anymore. He was a Noah now, a powerful being, and he could defend himself.

He trained his new powers over dark matter and his new strength and agility. He also had to adapt to his 'new' body, as he had no recollection of ever growing up. Muscle memory helped a lot for that.

During the final transformation, the lump of his freaky arm still attached to his shoulder vanished, leaving him with nothing. That being said, he wasn't going to complain about it. Yes, he only had his right arm, but he didn't mind losing the Innocence. It had brought him only pain and sadness.


	2. Chapter 2

'What do you want to do now ? You've got enough control over Dark Matter and the Musician's abilities to hold your own.' Neah stated.

The sun was setting, Red had scavenged another house in the deserted town for food, it was becoming harder to find anything still edible.

'I'm not sure, I think the best would be to find this Road you talked to me about. She's probably my best option to come back to the Noah Clan without getting immediately killed.' Red said, thinking deeply on the matter, as he had done for the last few days.

'Well, you can connect to the ark without trouble now, like I showed you. It shouldn't be too hard for you to find her once you're there.' Neah reminded him.

Red nodded to himself. He hummed quietly, drawing on his power while his uncle joined him and an Ark gate opened before him. He made sure he was in his white form before stepping through in case he encountered exorcists. The chance was small, but he preferred not to tempt fate. He was still dressed as one, only the long coat was opened and it showed his naked torso, but he liked it that way. Red thought it made him look cool. The reason was childish for sure but that is easily forgiven because he was a child in mind. Abused, cynical and powerful, a child he remained nonetheless.

His surroundings changed to a spacious white room opened to the outside with a rectangular marble table in the middle. There were several people already there, and they were all staring at him. Quickly sweeping his gaze over them, he recognized from Neah's description Lenalee Lee and Lavi Bookman. They were seated with a slightly chubby chinese man. He didn't notice Road, eyeing the exorcist's side of the table as he was, literally flying at him. She encircled her arms around his neck and kissed him on the lips. Now, this action would have surprised anyone and he was, but another part of him, one he knew almost nothing about, reacted and overwrote the shock. His hand reflexively caught the unknown person at the waist, his head tilted slightly, his eyes closed and his lips pushed back. The feelings and sensations from the contact were completely foreign to Red. That being said, it felt great, so he didn't feel the need to stop it. So much so that when Road, who he identified by cracking one eye open, went to pull away he slid his hand further on her back and trapped her against him. The Noah of Dreams allowed it of course, she didn't know why Allen was being so bold but she wasn't going to complain. It wasn't until a pink umbrella with a talking pumpkin head got between them that they separated.

"I'm so glad to see you Allen !" Road said cheerfully as she got the animated object off of her. "Why is your hair red ?" She asked as she looked him over.

"Allen ! We thought you were dead !" Miss Lee exclaimed once she regained her composure. She desperately wanted to run up and hug him but she was too weak to move her damaged legs.

Red grumbled a little to himself before he spoke. "Yeah, but there's a little, tiny problem about that." He walked, ignoring the umbrella trying in vain to scold the unrepentant Road for kissing him, and made his way over to the other Noah in the room. "Tyki Mikk." He greeted. "Do you want to know what happened after you pierced a hole in my heart ?"

The man looked interested and nodded with a slight smirk while the exorcists were once again struck speechless by the news. Red sat down on the chair next to him and picked some food. He waited for Road to come back and she sat on his lap. It took all of his self-control not to blush.

"As you can see, I survived. The problem is... In addition to my left arm, I lost almost all of my memories because of it." I announced. "I'm sorry, but I don't remember any of you. My most recent memory is from when I was seven years old. Oh, by the way, my name's Red."

Heavy silence ensued, someone was going to have a heart attack because of all the revelations. Road had turned sharply and were looking at him in the eyes.

"Then how did you get here ?" She inquired curiously.

Red smirked. He liked the feeling of being the center of attention at this moment. It showed that the people around him cared about what he was saying, a definite change from the response he usually got at the circus.

"You promise not to attack me ?" He demanded softly, staring at Road.

"Now, what gave you the idea I would ever want to do that ?" She countered with a grin.

"Well... Just answer this, who has complete control over the Ark ?"

"The Fourteenth, but he's dead." Tyki replied with a frown.

"Yeah, the previous one." I corrected him.


	3. Chapter 3

**I have absolutely no idea where to go from there. I tried to write more but it came out really bad. I'll need your help to continue, please review.**

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Red heard a yelp from the exorcist's side, but he was focused on Road's eyes, which became the size of dinner plates. It was quite funny watching this up close so he chuckled.

"In case you don't get it. Neah started the transformation when Tyki destroyed my innocence, but he was a little clumsy with his memories, trying to save me and all. He replaced a good portion of mine with his. That's why I lost them in the first place." He explained with a sardonic smile. "He told me everything I needed to know after I woke up thinking I was seven years old. I've decided to try and contact the Earl and, according to Neah, you were the least likely to kill me before I could speak because of what he did." He added softly for Road and Tiky's ears only.

Understanding came onto Road's features while Tyki was still doing an accurate fish impression. The Noah of Pleasure had almost killed one of his brethren. Of course, he didn't know at the time, he couldn't have known. It was entirely unexpected, nothing hinted at it being the case. Nevertheless, it didn't change the fact that attacking one of their own with the intent to kill was a very serious taboo in the Noah clan, especially since the Fourteenth' betrayal. How was he going to explain himself to the Millenium Earl? Tyki snapped his mouth shut and fearfully swallowed. He was so going to suffer for this.

Road, for her part, suddenly smiled as brightly as the sun.

"This is great! You're not gonna fight with the exorcists anymore, right!? I'll have you all to myself!" She whooped in joy, bouncing on his lap.

"What are you!?" Miss Lee shrieked loudly. "Of course he's still gonna fight with us, he's our friend!"

Red turned toward the short-haired girl and fixed her with a glare. "Hell no! Maybe you were friends with Allen, but that's not me. From what I was told he had this thing on his eye that made him see the soul inside the Akuma. I don't have it because I never tried to revive this Mana guy. The Innocence only gave me a freakish arm and people beat me because of it. I'll stay as Red, thank you very much. 'Allen' is dead and I'm glad he is." He stated harshly and, unbeknownst to him, his eyes flashed gold.

The she-exorcist looked like he kicked her puppy. Neah had warned him Allen wasn't one to lash out at someone. 'I obviously got soft because of that mad clown.' Red thought.


	4. Chapter 4

**This chapter was made possible thanks to _Elogane_. Without her help, I wouldn't have been able to continue. **

**Don't hesitate to contact me via PM or simply leave a review if you want to contribute to this story, I'm still very much in need of inspiration.**

* * *

"But.. We're your family!" Lenalee Lee claimed, her voice shaking and the red-headed exorcist, Bookman Jr., stood to comfort her.

"Actually, you're not. I was certain we were speaking the same language, do you not understand what I say? You are strangers to me." Red articulated every word mockingly as if talking to a small child. "One of you exorcists even killed one of my clan recently, so tell me why I should trust any of you." He growled lowly.

"Are you talking about Skinn, A-Red?" Road asked him softly, her previous joy gone, replaced by a sad expression.

He shrugged. "Is that what he was called? All I know is that I started to cry for no reason, then Neah tells me a Noah died. It sucked."

"He was Skinn Bolic, the Wrath of Noah. He loved sweets above all and hated everything that was not." Tyki declared solemnly.

"A swordsman exorcist killed him, Lero~. With the crumbling of the Ark, he will be trapped in the void, Lero~." The talking pumpkin stated smugly.

Lenalee Lee whimpered at being reminded of Kanda and Krory's fate.

"You monsters!" The stocky asian man exclaimed spitefully.

Red reacted to the insult reflexively, not entirely aware of his body moving on its own. He heard the words and the next instant he found himself holding a still beating human heart in the palm of his hand. He marvelled at the fresh organ, blood spurting out rhythmically on his ashen skin.

"Oh, I transformed… Why?" Red asked himself with a frown. He thought he had his Noah side under control after Neah's training.

Looking back at the corpse slumped over the table, he noticed a faint green light emanating from its hands.

"Innocence." He sneered. The close proximity with the substance must have provoked the change.

Negative emotions threatening to overcome him, he lifted his hand, ready to destroy the body along with the fragment.

"Allen… Red… Please... don't do this." Lenalee Lee begged him, her eyes wide staring in horror at what just happened.

He stopped, but only so he could lock his gaze with hers, then he sent a condensed blast of Dark Matter at the corpse. It disintegrated, leaving no trace behind. He willed into his glare every ounce of hatred he was capable of, making the girl recoil and look away.

"I think you should leave." Road said seriously. "Your innocence is useless, Bookman is a special case and Allen Walker is dead. We'll allow you to leave with your lives, right Tyki?"

The Noah of Pleasure wasn't stupid enough to think she was asking his permission. His mouth stayed shut. Road could be particularly volatile when in a serious mood. One wrong move and she would do a one-eighty on you faster than you could blink. He couldn't recall exactly how many times the twins suffered because they couldn't keep themselves from mouthing off.

One of her heart-shaped doors appeared just behind the two exorcists and, if you don't count a few pointy candles hovering close, they stepped through without prompting. As expected, the girl still had to give a parting shot.

"We will save you, Allen, I promise you."

'I don't know about saving, but you sure riled him up good.' Tyki thought. 'Or maybe it's just his first human kill that got him like that.'

Indeed, after the exorcists left, Red stayed frozen in place, staring dully at the last vestige of the one he brutally murdered. His mind a whirlwind of contradicting thoughts and emotions.

It felt good, but then it also left a sort of emptiness in his chest that he didn't like at all. Was he feeling guilty about killing another human being? Or maybe his bloodlust was not satisfied.

'Neither.' Neah's voice resonated faintly in his head.

Red blinked, surprised not by his adoptive uncle's sudden interjection, but by its weakness.

'The Innocence wasn't here. It was synchronizing with the man from elsewhere. That's why you feel this void inside you, it's your Noah warning you that you failed.'

He hadn't heard wrong it seems. His uncle's presence was faint, weightless and particularly nonintrusive compared to the first time he woke up. Why this was, Red had no clue, thus he pushed those thoughts to the forefront of his mind. That way, Neah wouldn't be able to ignore them. Suddenly, his words registered.

'Wait a second… MY Noah?' Red inquired. 'What are you talking about? Aren't you the only one inside me?'

'I am, but I won't be for long. What, did you think I would stay with you until death do us apart?' The Fourteenth teased and Red was at a loss as to how to respond. 'Didn't I tell you already? I am but an echo of Neah's memories. Once fully assimilated, my purpose is fulfilled.'

"You never said that!" The young man cried out loud, unheeding of his remaining audience.

"Boy?" Tyki glanced at Road and raised an eyebrow in question but she wasn't paying attention to him.

'Oh really? My bad then.' Neah said and Red could hear the infuriating smirk he wore on his face.

"Why? I don't understand…" His nephew helplessly muttered.

'You know, I should have possessed you, if all went according to plan.' Neah commented casually. 'Taken control of your body and everything. But then, it didn't. In fact, one could say that the opposite is happening.'

"That doesn't make sense, Neah please..."

'Don't worry, Red. You're a big boy, you don't need me to hold your hand. Go on, forge your own path. You are at a crossroads, you have to choose the best path for you selfishly, or only failure awaits you. The same way Allen failed because he let others decide for him. You have the chance to start over, don't waste it. I love you, I would like for you to live well. Know that it is up to you and you alone.'

The feeling of freedom that enveloped his mind then was the most painful thing Red had ever experienced.


	5. Chapter 5

Was that what Allen felt when Mana died? Was this abyss of despair in Red's soul ever going to be filled again? Will he ever be able to genuinely smile?

Did God enjoy watching him suffer that much? Did he enjoy tormenting him so?

Red took the time to ponder these questions silently, his mind working at full capacity, something he was incapable of with Neah inside. Deaf and blind to his surroundings, he didn't outwardly react when Road gently guided him, down on the floor, his back resting against a pillar. He simply let her do whatever she wished. Lounging on him as if he was a particularly comfortable armchair, she took his remaining hand and put it on her heart.

Meanwhile, Tyki being the gentleman he portrayed himself as waited patiently, smoking, for the situation to unravel.

A few minutes passed like this before Red sighed and his breath tickled Road's neck, making her shiver unnoticeably. Then he flexed his hand.

"Kya!" She jumped to her feet with a yelp. "You just copped a feel, Red." She said, looking at him as if seeing him for the first time.

"Had to do something about the mood, thought that maybe you would kiss me again... There goes that idea. God, brooding's definitely not my thing, it was always more Mana's way." The two Noah looked at him weirdly. "What? Do I have something on my face?"

"Are you sure everything is alright boy?" Tyki inquired, not liking where this was going.

"No, nothing is. Indeed, I don't know how to cope with a century worth of memories and the disappearance of the closest thing I had to family. It seems that to impersonate that same person is my brain's inherent way of dealing with grief."

Confused, Road spoke bluntly. "We're missing a few pieces of the puzzle here Red."

"Oh, that's true, isn't it? Then let me elaborate. Neah D. Campbell, the Fourteenth Noah left this world forever mere moments ago, and I'm supposed to replace him. That said, I have no idea what to do. It's not like he left me with a 'How to be a good Fourteenth' manual and I'm not inclined to follow his example, I kinda like living." He pointed out with a roll of his eyes.

"Just come back with us. The Millenium Earl will welcome you back with open arms and then we'll be your family. I promise you'll love it."

"Yeah, that's probably still my best option all things considered."

"We're gonna have so much fun playing together!"

"If you say so. I just need to restore the Ark then you can lead me to wherever it is you guys live."

"Why? We built a new one better. Plus, if you do that, the exorcists trapped in the void will come back." Road countered.

"I don't care about them. This Ark is mine, I refuse to let it go to waste." 'It's the only memento of Neah I have, you bet your pretty little ass I'm gonna keep it.' He thought. 'And in case I ever need to go AWOL, the Ark is my best bet to remain hidden.'

Road pouted cutely. "You can't, the Akuma Egg needs to be downloaded to the new Ark!"

That name caused a few memories to surface in Red's mind, of the Earl telling Neah about its purpose. "I'll do the transfer of the Egg while I'm at it if that's so important for you, let's go."

He only needed to hum for a few seconds before a Gate opened in front of him. Stepping through, the three of them arrived in a room with white walls, a white couch and piano.

"I sense a pattern here." Tyki commented.

"What's this? I've never been here before." Road added, her stance curious but also suspicious as she inspected her new surroundings.

"It's Neah's secret room. Only the Fourteenth is supposed to know about it." Red walked over and sat on the bench, facing the piano. "With this, the Musician has total control over the Ark, it's the only mean to cancel the Earl's download."

Slowly, his fingers began pushing on the keys, getting a feel for the instrument. Although, that isn't quite right. Red knew this piano, had played it time and time again and knew each and any of its kinks like the back of his hand. Of course, he had Neah to thank for that.

More and more since his disappearance, Red was having difficulties dissociating himself from him. It was the memories altering his behavior, Neah's experiences having a much greater impact than before. Maybe he had been repressing their influence and now that he couldn't, it was leaking into Red. Maybe that was what he was talking about when he said he had been supposed to possess him. The much more potent Noah memories and personality taking over the human identity.

But then, where would it stop in this case, will he become Neah completely? Will his goal become to kill the Earl and take his place? He wasn't sure what he wanted exactly yet, but entering into a war against the most powerful entity in this world wasn't on his to-do list, and wouldn't be anytime soon if he could help it.

On the other hand, exterminating the human race for the simple reason that their extinction would weaken God wasn't either. Red never did believe that the big man existed and if he did, in all likelihood, he had either abandoned this world or died at some point.

Another little theory he liked to fantasize about now that he knew a lot more, was that God had in fact turned insane and became the Millenium Earl himself, turning against his creations because their wickedness corrupted him.

But that was purely hypothetical. Very little is known about him and the only one that could have known more was the previous incarnation of the Earl, but the memories of that time were lost when he split in two. All that was left was the end-goal and the means to achieve it.

Red's thoughts were interrupted by a rather rude shove. "That was beautiful Red! I didn't know you could sing so well!"

"Thank you Road, it comes with the role, I guess."

"Are we ready to go now?" Tiky interjected, his posture slightly impatient.

Red shook his head as he stood up. "Still need to move the Egg to the new Ark."

"Then what are you waiting for, boy?" The man was rapidly becoming quite annoyed. It wasn't that he was in a hurry, his nerves were to blame for his mood. He hadn't forgotten what would happen once the Earl learnt of what he did to another Noah. Nevermind that it was on his orders.

"I can't do it from here. This key only gives me control over the Ark as a whole, not what's inside. I'll need to create a gate to transfer it directly."

"Let's go then! The faster we finish here, the faster we can get back home!" Road said.

Home. That was a word he hadn't used meaningfully in his whole life. Red longed for a place to call home too.

"Earth to Red! Are you in there? You're spacing out again. Are you really alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, don't worry." His answer was mechanical and didn't reassure her at all.

"Of course I'll worry about you, Red, we're family!" She insisted.

He opened his mouth, whistled a quick tune instead of replying then opened the door.

"Are you coming?" He said before walking into the newly connected room housing the Akuma Egg.

"Don't ignore me!" Road ran after him.

Tyki sighed at their antics and made to follow her but stopped on the threshold when he heard Road's serious voice. "Marian Cross."

Observing his surroundings, he first spotted the boy and girl duo. They were staring intently in a single direction. He followed their line of sight and saw a man with long vibrant red hair and an exorcist coat standing nonchalantly next to a big blue egg easily the size of a small house.

"Yo, long time no see, Neah." The General Exorcist said, a smirk playing on his lips. "Didn't expect you to appear so soon, something good happen?"

"What are you doing here, Cross?" Red demanded, his expression a blank mask hiding his emotions.

"I am here to destroy the Plant. Black Order business, I'm sure you understand."

"I do, but Ima have to ask you to leave this place and leave the Egg to me. Noah Clan business, I'm sure you understand."

He rose an eyebrow in slight surprise. "Really now? Then maybe you could answer a few questions before I go? Like where did Allen's scar and Innocence go? Even if you managed to destroy the latter, cursed scars don't simply vanish overnight."

"Does the little exorcist wanna play with us? I heard he's the only one to possess two pieces of Innocence, maybe it's because one of them's the Heart, don't you think Tyki?" Road said with a wide grin.

Red was thankful for her intervention, he didn't know if it was intentional on her part but he didn't want Cross to know the truth. At least not from him and not when he was in his immediate proximity.

From what he gleaned from Neah's memories, the Fourteenth was strong enough to beat the gun-wielding exorcist in a straight-up fight, however Marian Cross never played fair and would never risk his life if he had other options.

This man was one of the craftiest human on Earth, on par if not above the Millenium Earl himself. His ability to escape debts and dump them on someone else was proof of that. Always one step ahead of everyone around him, he never truly showed his true intentions.

Indeed, he, alone, was the third-side of the war and played a major role in Neah's betrayal. Red did not feel comfortable fighting against someone like that at this point, even if they outnumbered him three to one. Who knows what tricks he had up his sleeve, Red didn't want to increase the interest in him. That would lead to his kidnapping and, best case scenario, his delivery to the Black Order and consequent execution. He shuddered and decided not to think of the worst that could happen if Cross got ahold of him.

"Let's not be hasty here, you are a nice young lady, I wouldn't want to hurt you needlessly." Marian said, his usual flirtatious behavior rearing up its ugly head.

Road giggled. "I'll show you how nice I am, mister Exorcist, like I did to that other General. By the time we're done, you'll be singing a very different tune."

Candles were floating in the air by the dozens while a swarm of Tease fluttered around Tyki, both were prepared to fight.

Cross Marian sighed and unholstered Judgement. "So be it."

Red meanwhile did not move a muscle. Arrogance was not one of his or Neah's flaw, one week of training and memories did not suffice to challenge a General. He would only get in the Noah's way.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey everyone, hope you enjoy this chapter.**

 **Please, don't hesitate to review or PM your thoughts on the chapter, story, writing... I'm doing my best to improve as a writer and your advice and criticism would help me more than you can imagine.**

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Marian Cross aimed Judgement at Red, making him tense. "I'd need a Gate to leave, if you would be so kind."

The three Noah were surprised but did not relax their aggressive stance. Red obliged and, without even a parting shot, Cross left.

It wasn't necessarily a good thing, the teen reflected. Who knew what the man had in mind when he made the decision to let them have the Akuma Egg. What was he going to say to his superiors at the Black Order? It would surely be a huge blow to the exorcists' morale to realize that they lost one exorcist and two pieces of Innocence, all the while looking for a General who failed his own task. He couldn't give them the Egg or the Ark's location either, because Red was going to move both to different locations.

The sound of breaking glass snapped him out of his thoughts, the Egg was crumbling to pieces right before their eyes.

"Son of a..."

Red cursed with a snarl. He should have seen it coming. This was exactly Marian's type. He made his enemies think they got the best out of the situation, then once he was well out of reach, he rectified the notion. It was the same when Neah betrayed the clan. He pushed him in the right direction, then got the hell out of the way when shit hit the fan. In the end, he was the only one to gain anything from the ensuing chaos.

"Millenie's gonna be pissed." Road said quietly, her expression torn between rage and disbelief. It wasn't often that she was so thoroughly outdone. She settled on laughing like a madwoman. She would have her revenge, she swore it, and it would be glorious.

Tyki was sweating bullets. "Would it be possible, I mean, would it terribly bother you if we omitted my part in your, hum, awakening, boy?" 'Please I don't want to die a slow, painful death.' He added in his mind.

"I don't think that's going to cut it. I'll be sure to emphasize my being an exorcist at the time though, if it helps."

"It will be painless then, Tyki-pon." Road teased, using the nickname the Earl used to address him.

"I am feeling a lot better, thank you Road. We will see a lot more of each other when I come back to haunt you."

"Stop being such a drama queen. I'll make sure to visit your grave at least once a year, dear uncle."

"Stop calling me uncle! You're way older than me... And the boy! Doesn't that make you some kind of cougar?"

Road's face cycled through a series of expressions too fast for the eye to track. "Oh now you're gonna get it!" Tyki began to slowly edge away from her. "Come back here and take what's coming to you. I'll bite your legs off!"

"I think I'll pass, I prefer to keep them intact. Boy, I could really use a Gate right now." Unfortunately for him, Red wasn't listening. He was lost in remarkably similar thoughts as Road. Plotting revenge.

"I see everyone is having a good time." A cheerful voice commented.

Red snapped out of his contemplation, his eyes widening as he looked at the source. The grotesque figure of the Millenium Earl was standing a few feet away, seemingly unaffected by the shards littering the ground in front of him.

"Mana..." Red breathed softly.

He hadn't expected the torrent of emotions threatening to overwhelm him at the sight of his other half. Pain, sorrow, anger, love and so much more was raging in his heart, he couldn't stop the tears from flowing. He hadn't been prepared for it. Neah would have been calmer in his place, having experienced those feelings throughout his life, he would have been able to control them to an extent. Red was just a child in terms of life experience, it was understandable for him to let his emotions guide his actions.

Road, Tyki and the Earl, who had all turned in his direction, were caught off guard by Red's reaction. One moment he was standing there, gaping like a fish and crying quietly, the next he had his face buried in the Earl's chest wailing like a newborn.

"Allen Walker..?" Adam had no idea what was happening, except that this person currently invading his personal space was a Noah, judging by his skin tone and scarred forehead, and resembled the cursed exorcist. The hair color and scar were different though, he had time to notice that before it was hidden in his suit. What made this all the more troubling was the fact that this individual had called him 'Mana'.

Road came sauntering up to them. "Millenie! It's so good to see you! Hum let me introduce him. He is..." She couldn't finish as Red suddenly stopped crying and interrupted her.

"It's me, Neah! I've come back for you, brother."

"NO!" Road shouted before the Earl could properly comprehend his words. "No, you're not Neah. Your name is Red, remember? Neah died and moved on to the next life. You are not him, you only have his memories." She whispered with a gentle tone, pulling him into an embrace.

"But..."

"Shh. It's ok, everything's alright, you're just a little confused is all. You are Red and you loved Neah a lot, I know. He's not here anymore, and so you're doing your best to cope. It hurts to be alone, but I'm here for you, I'll always be here for you."

The touching display shocked both witnesses. Tyki had never seen this side of his niece. Don't get him wrong, he knew she could be nice, but he had never seen her being so affectionate with another human being.

The Earl had but only once and it was a long time ago. After Neah's betrayal, he had gone off the deep end and she had been there to help him. As far as he knew, she never acted like that with anyone else. To see her attached to someone this way, it warmed his heart.

However, loath as he was to interrupt, he needed an explanation.

"Tyki, give me your account on recent events please."

"Yes Earl." The Noah of pleasure forgot every plan to lie and lessen his involvement when faced with his leader's serious voice. "I eliminated the exorcist Allen Walker and destroyed his Innocence, unknowingly jumpstarting the awakening of the Noah memory stored inside him. Later, inside the Ark, he came to us of his own free will, informed us that he was suffering from a major case of amnesia and expressed a desire to join the family despite the actions of his predecessor. We, that is Road and I, agreed to lead him to you. He used a key conceived by the Fourteenth Noah to move the Ark and stop the download. In exchange, he promised to transfer the Akuma Egg to the new Ark. We arrived too late though, Marian Cross was already there. He tricked us into letting him leave. We realized only after his departure that he had sabotaged the Egg. You arrived soon after. Regarding the boy, Road is more apt to explain what is wrong with him."

A few seconds passed, Red's sobs the only sounds echoing in the chamber. "I see. Road?"

She understood his unspoken question. "From what I could gather, Neah's memories created an echo of the man he was inside Red to help guide him through the process. Red latched onto it for emotional support and, when it inevitably disappeared, became unstable. He has a hard time dissociating himself from Neah."

"Do you have an idea how to help him?" The Earl asked.

She shook her head sadly. "Wisely would know what to do."

The Noah of wisdom had the ability to read minds, even that of other Noah. Mental issues was his area of expertise. That being said, they had not yet found his reincarnation.

"Forgive my ignorance, but wouldn't it be better for us if the Noah memories took over the boy? Isn't that what you are always reproaching me, favoring my human side?" Tyki didn't have any ill will towards Red, quite the contrary, but his curiosity got the best of him.

"That would be the worst possible outcome for everyone." It was Red who answered, his frame still slightly shaking. "The Fourteenth is not a Noah per se, but one-half of the Millenium Earl. Neah was the only incarnation, so if the Noah takes over, I will literally become him. Which is a problem as you can guess, because his goal was to kill the Earl and take his place."

Tyki nearly called him a liar, but the nods from the other two shut him up. He hadn't known any of that and it made his head hurt to think about the implications.

"We can discuss this at a later date. For now children, let us go home. Some of us need to rest urgently." The Earl announced, glancing only briefly at Red... His brother.


	7. Chapter 7

He awoke slowly, his head feeling fuzzy, his thoughts sluggish. He didn't remember falling asleep. In fact, he didn't remember much of anything and that was a distressing thought. What was his name? He couldn't even recall his own damn name, nevermind who he was. Opening his eyes and sitting up on what was clearly a queen sized bed, he inspected his surroundings. Nothing about the room seemed familiar, but then, that wasn't really surprising. His brain pounding in his skull as he searched it for any useful information. Pushing through the pain, he managed to get something. The letter R. That was something at least. Did his name begin with R, or someone else he knew? Maybe someone important to him?

"Hiyah Red!" A young, decidedly female voice shouted cheerfully.

He winced as his headache grew worse. Worst way to wake up ever, he thought depressingly. He looked to the source of his renewed suffering. It was a girl with short blue hair and ashen skin. From the corner of his eye, he noticed his hand was the same color. It felt right somehow, even if he was pretty sure humans had more of a rosy skin tone.

"Hi." His voice was deeper than hers, one more clue as to his identity. "Do you know me?" Then what she said registered fully. "Red? Is that... My name?" Hope surged inside of him, the name... or word? Wasn't red supposed to be a color? Anyway, it was familiar to him.

The girl's happy demeanor vanished at his words. It seemed, he said the wrong thing because she sported a sad frown now. "It is." She sighed.

"I'm sorry." He uttered quietly, feeling bad about making her this way for some reason.

"It's ok, it's not your fault. Let's just say this is not the first time it's happened." She had a small smile, that was better, he felt better seeing it.

"Oh. That sucks."

She laughed, it wasn't particularly happy but he preferred that to seeing her sad. "The name's Road by the way. We're gonna see a lot of each other from now on, so you better not forget it." She teased him.

"I'll do my best, no promises. So... Where am I? What's gonna happen to me?"

"Well, until we can find someone who can help you, the Millenium Earl decided to put you in confinement, kinda."

"What, but why? What's wrong with me? Aside from the whole..." He gestured at his head. He decided to refrain from asking about this Earl, just the name made his calming headache flare.

"I'm gonna be honest with you Red. You're too dangerous to be left alone and we don't know how you would react to others, especially people from your past life. Millenie doesn't want to take any risk and, frankly, I agree with him."

Wasn't that a slap to the face. "How... Why are you here then? To 'supervize' me?" He made air quotes.

She looked at him seriously, and it took all of his self-control not to apologize for his snappy comment. He stayed motionless as she climbed onto the bed. She got close to him, took his head in her hands and rested it on her chest. The effect was immediate, hearing her heartbeat and its slow rhythm, he melted into her embrace. His single, he noted distantly, arm automatically encircled her small back and held onto her tightly.

"I like you Red. I am here with you because I want to be. I'll always be there for you. Whatever you remember tomorrow or in a century, never doubt that." He was struck by the emotions in her voice. It was totally foreign to him but incredibly pleasant.

He felt warm and comforted. "I trust you." The word that escaped his mouth left him stunned. He had meant to say 'I believe you', but it came out wrong. Although what actually came out felt truer.

"I'm glad."

They stayed like this for a while, Red eventually falling asleep. He awoke a few hours later, his demeanor changed from the confused and anxious boy from before.

"Road? Wha... What am I doing here? Where are we?" He pushed her away, all trace of affection gone, replaced by hostility.

It broke her heart to see him acting like this. "Well, aren't you a handful to deal with. One time you trust me and the next you demand things from me."

"What are you talking about? Why would I ever trust you?" The bewilderment evident on his face rapidly gave way to anger. "Nevermind, I don't care." He snarled, a ball of condensed black matter forming in his hand.

She had a pretty good guess as to who it was this time. Getting off the bed, she put some distance between them before voicing her suspicions. "You think you're Neah, right?" The throwing motion of his hand stopped. "Let me make one thing clear, you are not the Fourteenth, only an artificial personality Red cooked up to cope with his memories."

His expression shifted to shock and the dark matter disappeared. She took the opportunity to lunge at him. So focused on her and the immediate threat she posed that he didn't notice the blunt-edged candle behind him. She was there to cradle his body when the blow to the back of his skull knocked him out.

"I enjoyed the blank state you a lot more so, please, I don't wanna see anymore of Neah. Hurting you isn't fun." She said softly.

Two full days passed by before he opened his eyes.

"Hello hum... Road was it?" He asked shyly, then he winced in pain and rubbed his head. "Why does my head have to hurt so bad?"

She giggled, happy that her wish was granted. "Nevermind that, how was your sleep?"

"Not that good." He answered then thought better of it. "Actually, I do feel rested but, I had a nightmare."

"What about?"

"Not sure. I think there was a man and a clown? The images are fading."

"No reason to dwell on it then, shouldn't be too important if you don't remember it." She said and hoped he would buy her flimsy attempt at a distraction.

He sighed. "You're right."

Comfortable silence fell between them. She was doubly happy that he accepted her words, and didn't feel the need to leave her embrace.

"Tell me Road, do you know how long I'm going to stay in, hum, confinement?" He asked hesitantly.

She shook her head. "It depends. We know someone who can heal you. Problem is, he's not available yet and we don't know when he will be. It could take many years before he is found."

That was depressing. Red grimaced, obviously upset about it. She could have been more optimistic, but she didn't want to sugar coat his situation. She knew he was made of sterner stuff than most.

"I'll need to find something to pass the time." He muttered, mostly to himself.

"Why don't we play some card games? I remember Tyki whining about how you beat him at poker." That was during his life as Allen but maybe his skills were there, it would be useful to know if he still retained some of them.

"Sure, you'll just have to remind me of the rules."


End file.
